Contending with the Hyphen(s): Muslim women negotiating identity, gender and conflict in New Zealand

Authors

  • Stephanie Dobson University of Otago

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11157/sites-vol9iss2id211

Keywords:

Muslim Women, New Zealand, Identity, Conflict, Stereotypes, Gender

Abstract

This article examines processes of identity creation in the lives of Muslim women in New Zealand who have experienced their young-to-mid adulthood after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Identity construction for these women has subsequently become increasingly complex negotiating between popular essentialist stereotypes often ascribed to Islam, and dynamic conditions of diaspora and minority contexts. These macroscopic issues are negotiated in the processes of the women’s identity articulations. Drawing on the narratives of individual women of Islamic faith, as well as theoretical perspectives regarding ‘hyphenated identities’, this article explores the syncretic formulations of identity that contradict stereotypical notions, and which advocate for women and create new avenues for the conceptualization of self–hood.

Author Biography

  • Stephanie Dobson, University of Otago
    Dr Stephanie Dobson is a Professional Practice Fellow in the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology at the University of Otago.

Downloads

Published

31-12-2012

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 2 (2012)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright © in this published form is held by Sites: New Series, Association of Social Anthropologists of Aotearoa New Zealand, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Individual readers and non-profit libraries acting for them, are permitted to print or download a single copy of an article without charge for use in research or teaching. Permitted use includes providing a link to an article, or hosting a PDF article in online Learning Management Systems or E-Reserve Systems for authorised users. A single article may be used in print or online Course Packs. Interlibrary loan is permitted. New Zealand Copyright Law and Copyright Licensing New Zealand Education Licence provisions apply. This consent does not extend to other kinds of copying, such as copying for general distribution, for advertising or promotional purposes, for creating new collective works or for resale. For such uses, written permission is required. Write to the Editor: sites@otago.ac.nz

How to Cite

Contending with the Hyphen(s): Muslim women negotiating identity, gender and conflict in New Zealand. (2012). Sites: A Journal of Social Anthropology and Cultural Studies, 9(2), 92-113. https://doi.org/10.11157/sites-vol9iss2id211